TikToker Reveals 4 Ways to Predict a Layoff (Just Before Getting Laid Off Herself)

In this economy, we don’t blame anyone for being paranoid. First, we got hit with inflation. Now the housing market seems poised to crash. And next? Probably a recession. What does that mean for you personally? Well, your job could be in jeopardy. If only there were a way to know a layoff was coming…Wait! There is! Because a TikToker has revealed the four signs you’re about to get a pink slip (are those even still a thing?).

Her name is Eve Pena (aka @adminandeve), and she’s been working in a Human Resources and administrative capacity for startups and corporations for almost a decade. In a now-viral video, the 26-year-old laid out the signs that you’re about to get laid off.

“How did I know my company was going to be going through rounds of layoffs two months before they were actually announced? And how can you take a look at these warning signs and see the writing on the wall too? Let’s get into it,” her video began.

@adminandeve How to see the signs of layoffs before it gets to that point! #careertiktok #hrtok #laidoff #remotework #corporate #realestate ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

The four signs of an inevitable layoff, according to Pena, are:

1. “Executive and senior leadership, even your managers, will start acting a little bit funny. Maybe they’ll stop engaging with the team in ways that they usually would. Or maybe they’ll start focusing on random things they don’t usually, like they’ll ask specific questions about budget.”

2. “The company will start scrapping big dollar projects that they were really excited about a few months ago, to conserve money. Think office moves, renovations, hiring.”

3. “Our company did a hiring freeze, in which they froze every single open role except for executive leadership.”

4. “You might start receiving feedback that is completely different than all the feedback you’ve ever received. And this might be to build a case to put you on the chopping block, because they can’t say performance issues if there’s not one.”

Unfortunately, Pena knows her stuff a little too well. Shortly after posting her warning signs video, she herself was laid off.

“Update: your girl got laid off and is now at IKEA to numb the pain,” she shared in another video.

@adminandeve Replying to @timespacehashira #CVSPaperlessChallenge #careertiktok #hrtok #laidoff #remotework #techtok ♬ Either Homeless Or Somewhere in Japan – Wingy

The layoff was bad news for her, but good news for her followers because now she has more time to post videos about all things layoff- and job hunting-related.

@adminandeve Yikes is all i gotta say #worktok #hrtok #jobsearch #layoffs #corporate #jobapplication ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

Here’s to all the job seekers, including Pena, finding gainful – and meaningful – employment soon!

Cover Photo: Dmitry Ageev / EyeEm (Getty Images)